Baked Yuca Fries

I prefer yuca fries over potato fries anyday. I like them so much, in fact, that I decided to make my regular yuca fries healthier by baking them. Although the fried version has a slightly crispier surface, baked yuca fries are surprisingly similar and whole lot easier to make.

Yuca is an extremely underrated tuber. It can substitute for potato quite in most, if not all dishes. I don't like to mask the flavor of yuca fries with sauces or condiments so I usually just serve them with a squeeze of lime, a little cilantro and pinch of salt. However, I'm apparently outnumbered by the people that like to dip them in something a little more punchy.

While ketchup certainly has it's place I didn't feel right putting plain old unsophisticated ketchup on these fries so jazzed it up with a little chipotle. You'll find a link to the "recipe" for chipotle ketchup on this page.

Directions

Peel the waxy skin from the yuca with a vegetable peeler and slice it into 4-5 inch lengths. Split each length in half and cut them into roughly 1/2 x 1/2 inch fries. Don't bother being too nitpicky but the if they're all close to the same size they'll all cook the same.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Drop the yuca fries into a pot of lightly salted boiling water and let them cook for about 30 minutes until tender. Yuca is a funny tuber that bakes and fries better after it's been boiled. Well, at least that's my experience and I get good results so as they say - If it's not broken; don't fix it.

Drain the fries and let them dry slightly on a dish towel. They'll be more receptive to cooking oil if they're dry. Olive oil (or any oil) will heat up quickly and help to achieve a slightly crispy surface on the fries.

Coat the dried fries with the olive oil by brushing, tossing or whatevuh. Just don't break them. Place them on a baking sheet and bake them at 450 degrees F for 20-25 minutes turning once so they brown evenly. The yuca should be golden brown and slightly crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

Serve the fries with a squeeze of lime, a sprinkle of sea salt and a side of chipotle ketchup. I will say that the chipotle ketchup was pretty damned good on these yuca fries.&nbps; I hope I'm still in good graces with the fry gods. Enjoy!

Comments (6)

You won't be disappointed. They're super easy. However, someone pointed out that I've been spelling it incorrectly. It's actually spelled Yuca. Yucca and yuca are two different plants entirely and although "Yucca" seems to be generally accepted on the internet and in supermarkets, it's not the official spelling. It's very similar to the difference between "Chile" and "Chili" :D

I'm really not sure where you'd find them on the other coast. I would think they'd be more accessible there than here in North Georgia. I found mine in the produce section of my local supermarket. They're usually in the cooler. I've seen them in farmers markets as well near the Jicama.

With any luck you're like me... I walked right past them for years before even realizing they were right under my nose. Note that I've corrected my spelling. They're Yuca rather than Yucca (although they're sold under both spellings).